The Beginning of Their Travels
by BlindMediaProductions
Summary: A sequel to 'Not In Tamriel Anymore'. Returning to Skyrim after her dream about being in Middle Earth, Milah has become increasingly violent. Everyone is concerned, and becomes more so when the Khajiit seems to vanish after a confrontation in front of the Twilight Sepulcher. Passing through what she believes is an Oblivion Gate Milah finds herself in Kirkwall and the trouble begins
1. Chapter 1 - Oblivion Gate?

A/N - This is, technically, a sequel to my other story 'Not In Tamriel Anymore'. If you haven't read it then I highly suggest you do, because the first few chapters heavily reference said story. That said, I hope you all have as much fun reading this story as I do writing it!

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"So, what's the situation?" Karliah raised a curious eyebrow in the direction of Milah and Brynjolf, having not fully understood why the Khajiit had called for a meeting of the Nightingales.

"Trouble, what else?" Milah sighed, bringing up a clawed hand to rub her temples. "This one is my fault, and I'm really sorry to drag both of you into it. I killed a target for the Dark Brotherhood, and as it turns out the target had a very well-connected family. I was told they didn't care about the boy anymore, but apparently that information was wrong. They've had people sniffing about the past few months, and figured out that I am a Nightingale. Contacts in the Brotherhood say that they're planning to attack the Twilight Sepulcher, hoping that defacing the sanctuary of Nocturnal will draw me into the open." Her voice was stoic, lending credit to how much she had changed over the past few months.

"That is bad news indeed. So, what do you propose we do lass?" Brynjolf turned his head to look at Milah.

"I was hoping we could ambush them. Normally I would take care of this myself, but they're bringing too many men and I know that my first duty above all else is to protect the Twilight Sepulcher. Karliah and I are archers, so if we can hide in the rocks and take shots we should be able to take them by surprise. That is, if you wouldn't mind being the bait Bryn." Milah looked at the Nord, waiting silently for his answer.

"If it means protecting the Twilight Sepulcher I'll do anything, I made the oath to Nocturnal same as you did." He smiled a little, his hood down for the moment since he felt no need to hide his emotions around the two ladies. "And I trust that your skills are good enough to keep me safe. So then, you two get into those rocks and keep a sharp eye out. Give me the signal if you see them coming."

Karliah nodded and began to scramble up the cliff that ran adjacent to a small waterfall nearby, knowing she could hide behind the branches of a tall pine tree that was growing near the river. Milah was about to follow her, but she was stopped as Brynjolf grabbed her by the wrist. Turning, the Khajiit narrowed her eyes at him in a way that dared him to keep holding on but Brynjolf didn't loosen his grip at all. Instead he tightened it a little, pulling so hard that Milah had to take a step back and be almost face-to-face with slightly taller Nord.

"Milah, what's going on?" He asked in a low tone, earning him nothing more than Milah pulling her arm away from him and snarling.

"It's nothing, I'm fine." She moved quickly to get away from his grasp again and moved up the cliff face to find a place to hide for the coming ambush.

Brynjolf, however, knew better than to trust her words. She was not fine, in the months since she woke after defeating Alduin and being unconscious for a short time she had never been the same. Whatever dreams the Khajiit had while she slept she didn't want to talk to him about it. He'd tried to ask Amon, but Milah had only said to the vampire that she dreamed of being in some different world for several years and had only returned because she died in that world. It had to be affecting her somehow, because Milah had gone from being one of the best to almost on the verge of no better than some of their new recruits. She was getting sloppy with her work, leaving trails and killing people she didn't need to because they were witness to her thefts. Even on her Brotherhood missions she was killing excess people, and the rumors were flying of a Khajiit who was wiping out bandit and Forsworn camps and leaving such a trail of death, destruction and gore in her wake that the few who managed to flee and find themselves not worth the trouble of chasing down were claiming to have seen a creature straight from the depths of Oblivion itself. She was getting reckless and far more violent than she had been previously, and the worst part was that she didn't want to talk about it. Brynjolf had tried to ask her, but every time he did she would just say that she was fine and walk away, usually only returning to the guild days later and then refusing to speak to him for a while unless she had to.

With a heavy sigh Brynjolf sat down near the entrance and waited, weapon drawn. It would be nearly an hour before he could use it, but that didn't stop him from being on his feet seconds after the shrill whistle reached his ears. The sound was unmistakable and as soon as he stood Brynjolf could feel that the air had changed and become far more tense. Then he saw the first of the mercenaries marching up the path, fanning out slightly as they came to the front of the Twilight Sepulcher. A man that was clearly their leader strode forward, no weapon drawn but his hand on the hilt of his sword just in case anything happened. He seemed to have about a dozen other men with him, all well-armed and armored, and as Brynjolf eyed them he could see why Milah had asked for help defeating them.

"We seek the one of you who killed my boy." The leader spoke, his tone loud and firm as he stared at Brynjolf.

"Well good luck, because it was not one of ours who killed him. We are thieves, not killers, and I have no quarrel with you and no wish to fight." Brynjolf could kill if his life depended on it, and he knew that Milah and Karliah were watching from the cliff waiting to strike. Still, these men could be persuaded to leave and he hoped they would listen, not wanting to cause unnecessary bloodshed.

"Now look here you ignorant-" The man took a step forward as he spoke and that was the last move he made. An arrow flew from the cliff, piercing his neck through a chink in the armor. The man reached his hands up to clutch at the arrow before he fell over, dead before he could fully register what hit him.

"Milah, stop!" Brynjolf called to her, but it was too late. Arrows began to fly from the cover of the trees on the cliff, felling half the men before they stopped. Then came a roar so loud it shook the earth, and it was so inhumanly terrifying that the rest of the men scrambled to get away.

Before any of them could get very far or realize what had happened to them Milah came charging from her cover, leaping down the cliff and landing with a roll. She darted after them, right on their trail, until she caught up. In seconds there was nothing left but body parts and blood, the Khajiit panting as she sheathed her Nightingale sword and snarled loud enough that Brynjolf didn't dare taking a step towards her. Karliah was already by his side, having jumped from her cover as well in attempt to help Milah if she needed it but it was clear that the woman had not needed aid she just hung back and waited to see how bad the carnage would get. Despite the violence Karliah noticed that each arrow had been precise, it found hold in the few holes that were in the armor of their enemies. Even more impressive, the tips were wedged in small spaces and at points that were deadly, meaning Milah had to have calculated very quickly when to fire and in what directions. The men she had torn apart with her sword and bare hands, however, were far less precise. Arms, legs and heads were flung away from torsos in a bloodbath that had Milah soaked in dark red liquid. Even once they were dead she had continued to dismember them until they almost unrecognizable as even having been human in the first place.

"Milah…" Brynjolf kept his distance and tried to hide his disgust, but it was obvious in the way he stared both at the bodies and then at the Khajiit.

"Don't. I'm leaving." Milah began to walk and didn't once look back, not stopping until she was well out of sight of the temple and standing on the bank of a nearby pond. There was no one around since the temple was in the middle of nowhere on the skirts of Falkreath, so she felt comfortable finally stripping out of her armor and using the water to wash off.

As she did so, however, Milah found herself crying. She couldn't even stare at her own reflection without sobbing anymore, because she did not feel like herself. Ever since she woke up from that dream she hadn't been the same, but she didn't understand why. It was like any time she got into a fight there was this irrational need for violence, for her to just tear every single enemy to shreds and not stop until the grass ran red with their blood. Brynjolf wouldn't understand, or so Milah had convinced herself, and while Amon knew what she had dreamed of the vampire would also not understand the impact it had on Milah. No, no one would be able to help her, no one would think she was anything less than crazy. Once she was clean and her armor wasn't soaked in blood Milah put it back on and began to wander. She didn't know where she was going, she was just going to walk until her head cleared and she no longer felt like tearing apart the next person who tried to talk to her.

That's when something caught the Khajiit's eye. Or rather, caught her ears, for the sound that made her turn and look to find its source was unlike anything she'd ever heard. There was screaming in it, yes, but the rest sounded like some sort of large, metallic, screeching echo that was so high pitched it was almost hurting her ears. Judging from the position of the sun Milah guessed she'd walked maybe an hour or so, and she figured she was still in Falkreath. The noise was coming from beyond a group of nearby trees and as Milah approached she could see that it was a portal of sorts, at least twice as tall as she was and made completely out of rock. In between the outer structure was a glowing red light that appeared to be where the sound was coming from, and Milah held tight to the hilt of her sword as she swallowed hard at the sight of the thing. Amon had been alive for a long time, and Milah was recalling stories about the Oblivion Crisis so many years ago. This looked like what Amon had described as an Oblivion Portal, and if it was that meant there was no time to waste. No telling how many foul creatures had already escaped and how many more would slip through until it was closed. Deciding she would take this on for herself, Milah took a deep breath and made a go at the portal, hoping that she would come out the other side in Oblivion. After all, killing Dremora and other creatures of the type would not get her in any trouble and it would satisfy the bloodlust she felt boiling just under her skin once again.

What greeted her on the other side, however, caught the Khajiit off guard. She presumed she'd find herself facing what Amon had described to her time and time again; a red, burning sky and torched land littered with strange plants and little demonic creatures scampering about. Instead, as soon as she got her bearings Milah realized she was standing on the head of a large statue that depicted an emaciated man with his legs curled up and his hands covering his face as if he were weeping. She knew this because across from the one she stood atop was another one that was just the same. The statues overlooked a harbor that led into a town below, and Milah was confused as to why exactly she had wound up there. Turning around, she was also horrified to find that the portal she had stepped through didn't go back the other way, which meant she was trapped there for the moment. As she was assessing her options a gust of wind blew over the harbor, and Milah cursed loudly as she felt it push her. Her footing was completely lost and all Milah could do was pull her bag around to the front of her and grip it tightly, hoping that if hitting the water killed her at least something that would allow someone to identify her would survive. After all, she hadn't told Brynjolf or Karliah where she was going and Amon had no idea she was even out with the other two Nightingales. The last thought that went through her mind was wishing she could apologize to them for her behavior, and just as it finished she felt the impact rack her body. The water was cold, the force of her hitting it and breaking the surface had knocked the wind out of her, and as Milah realized she was sinking slowly in the murky depths the darkness of unconsciousness took her.


	2. Chapter 2 - Brennah Hawke

A/N - And chapter 2 is here! The setting is about a year after the end of Act 1 of the game, which is about 2 years before Act 2 begins. Also, Lilith wrote a sister story to this from the point of view of her character Amon so if you come across it be sure to give it a read! Amon and Garret are hers, Milah and Brennah are mine. Enjoy!

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Kirkwall could rarely be considered 'nice', but at least the weather was somewhat pleasant that day. Brennah was in The Gallows heading towards the harbor that day with Fenris, Anders and Varric in attendance since she was initially on her way to see the Qunari that were in a compound given to them after their ship became destroyed in a storm about a year or so before hand. At the request of the Viscount she was off to try and get a little more information about what their situation was and when or if they planned on leaving Kirkwall anytime soon since they didn't allow most people inside their compound and their leader, the Arishok, was not at all inclined to speak to outsiders. Brennah, however, had somewhat impressed him on a past mission so the Viscount was hoping that perhaps she could talk to him.

"Hey, what's that?" Varric stopped as they walked, turning towards the large statues that flanked the entrance to the harbor.

"I don't know." Brennah turned and stared first at the crowd that was gathering then following their gaze up towards the statues, not quite seeing what they were all gawking at right away. However as the redhead squinted she could see that there was someone standing atop one of them, and clearly this was what all the commotion was about.

"Hmph. Fool." Fenris grumped, his elven eyes being able to see clearly what was going on.

"I don't think so. Whoever that is, it doesn't look like they want to be up there." Anders contested, a worried frown crossing his face.

"Really now? The only way to get up there is to climb the statue, and I don't see another person up there. I say they're suicidal." Fenris crossed his arms over his chest and looked to Brennah, not at all pleased when she shook her head.

"Does it matter? We have to help." Maybe it wasn't her place to get involved, but Brennah could not let someone who needed help be stranded. To her it didn't really matter if this person was trying to commit suicide or if they'd been forced up there for some reason or another, they needed to be saved.

"Brennah, wait just a moment. I don't think that's a good-" Varric was about to suggest something else, but his words fell on deaf ears. The young woman was already sprinting across the harbor, her bow looking awkward as it sat in Anders' hands where she'd thrown it before taking off.

"Does she ever listen to us?" Fenris raised a curious eyebrow at the other two.

"No, not really. Come on, we should go help." Varric sighed and shook his head before taking off at a pretty decent clip towards the harbor.

It didn't take long for the person atop the statue to fall, and as soon as they did Brennah dove headfirst into the water. She swam quickly to the impact sight, hoping that even if she was going to drag back nothing but a dead body there would at least be some way to identify the person so they could notify the family. At first there was nothing, but Brennah took a deep breath before going under the surface, oblivious to her companions looking on or their worry when she didn't come back up after a few minutes. Just when it seemed like Anders might drop the bow and go in after her the redhead broke the surface, dragging a dark-clad figure with her. As she reached the docks Fenris and Anders reached down to help, taking the body before dragging the soaked woman from the waters.

"She's alive, but barely. Please Anders, help her." Brennah was almost begging as she stared up at the mage.

"Fine." Anders gave in quickly, holding the woman that Brennah had dragged from the harbor. "I'll go on ahead; you know where to find me." And with that he was gone, moving quickly towards Darktown and the small clinic he had there away from the prying eyes of the Templars.

"You okay?" Varric asked as he offered to help Brennah up, but the girl just brushed him off before getting to her feet and shaking her head.

"That was cold." She laughed, trying to ring out her short hair and at least get some part of herself dry.

"And reckless." Fenris interjected, scowling as Brennah just laughed again at the comment.

"That too. Come on, we should go before the city guard or the Templars get involved. " Brennah could already hear one of the two groups clamoring to get organized and figure out what happened, and it was time to scram before they caught up to her and started asking questions that she did not have the answers to.

"We should split up. I'll go back to my usual spot, find me there when this all calms down." Varric headed off towards Lowtown instead, and Brennah was not surprised when Fenris nodded in agreement before taking off for Hightown and the mansion he inhabited as he waited for its master to return and attempt to reclaim it from the former slave.

"Fine, see you guys later then." Brennah muttered under her breath, moving swiftly into the shadows and making her way to Darktown.

Anders' clinic was easy enough to find, and she slipped inside before shutting the door and leaning against it with a sigh. Trying to be quiet and unnoticed when she was soaking wet and about to freeze was not easy, but at least the redhead was glad to see that Anders had left a pile of clothes folded by the door for her. The mage himself was busy looking over the woman Brennah had saved so she paid it no mind for the moment as she stepped behind a pile of crates and changed into the dry clothes. They were a little bit big but at least they were warm and she was thankful for that as she draped the wet clothes over the crates so they could dry. Emerging back into the main space of the small makeshift clinic she was met with Anders looking in her general direction with a body language that said he was absolutely exhausted.

"Well, is she going to be okay?" Brennah asked as she adjusted the shirt a little bit.

Rather than speak Anders simply took a step to one side. The way he'd been standing had obscured the woman's face from Brennah, but once he moved she could see clearly why he wasn't saying anything about it. Though generally human in shape and clearly female because of the way the armor contoured to her body shape and left little to the imagination, her now uncovered face looked almost to be that of a cat as opposed to a human right down to the large feline ears that sat on top of her head. Rather than be afraid or worried, though, Brennah seemed more interested as she approached carefully and tried to get a better look.

"Do you think it could be a curse of some kind?" Magic was a powerful thing, blood magic even more so, and with members of the Tevinter in the city at all times looking for slaves it wasn't too far of a stretch to assume one of them might have put a spell on her for whatever reason.

"No." Anders said bluntly, walking over to stand beside Brennah. "I already looked, there is no magic at work here. I find that odd given not only her appearance but also the fact that she's almost completely uninjured despite that fall. No broken bones and no internal damage as far as I can tell. She's got some cuts and bruises on her arms and legs, but I have a feeling those are from some kind of fight rather than her dive into the harbor."

Indeed it was rather clear to Brennah that many of the small cuts that lined the strange woman's arms were from battle, not from the fall. Anders had already stripped her out of her armor and put her in dry clothes as well, which also made it easy enough to see that her body was covered in fur and the sharp claws that Brennah had assumed were part of the gloves of her armor were natural and probably just as deadly as they looked. But the woman's breathing was steady and she appeared to simply be asleep, so for the time being Brennah was content with that and searching for answers to this ever growing mystery elsewhere.

"Well that doesn't leave a whole lot of options. I noticed she had a bag with her that I dragged along. Have you taken a look inside yet?" Brennah motioned to a small backpack that was hanging off the edge of a chair near where the armor was splayed out to dry off.

"No, I was too busy making sure she was alright. I doubt if anything really survived, though, that bag was soaking wet." Anders sighed, dragging over one of the few chairs in the place so he could sit down beside the strange woman while still keeping an eye on what Brennah was doing.

The redhead was going to take a look anyway, so she quickly picked up the bag and fiddled with the straps until they came open. Dumping the contents on a nearby table it was a surprise to the both of them when everything appeared to be perfectly dry, even if all that was inside were a few books. None of them had titles right off the bat, but Brennah looked inside before she decided to judge.

"The Nightingales…..Words of Clan Mother Ahnissi…Ahzirr Traajijazeri…" Brennah struggled with the last title, but somehow managed to get it out. "What strange titles. At least they appear to be written in Common." Taking the books, Brennah sighed and tried to look for a place to sit down and read them. Perhaps somewhere on the inside there would be a name or something to identify the woman by.

"Brennah!" An unmistakable voice echoed through the small space just as the redhead was about to sit down.

"What, Garret?" Brennah sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose, looking over at the man with a small glare.

"Don't you 'what' me Brennah. Aveline told me what you did at the harbor. Have you completely lost your mind?" Garret wasn't yelling, but he was clearly extremely displeased at his sister's actions.

"Oh. Well I thought you'd be up at the Wounded Coast for at least another few hours. Weren't you Tal-Vashoth hunting or something?" Brennah seemed as if she was used to this, and given that Garret was her twin brother she probably was.

"Yes, I was. But then I got wounded. On the Wounded Coast. And I had to come back before I fell into the ocean of Help I'm Bleeding Out." Garret raised his arm, showing off a bandage that covered most of the upper part. A little bit of blood was leaking through, but it didn't seem to be enough to bother him outside of his usual complaints about such an injury.

"Very funny brother. Look, this woman needed some help so I helped her. I wasn't really thinking." Brennah shrugged, putting the book she had been about to start reading down on the table.

"And there's your problem, you never think! You may be the diplomatic one, but when it comes to action you rush in without making a plan and with no regard for yourself. One of these days you're going to wind up seriously hurt." Garret seemed more worried about the prospect of his sister getting hurt then angry at what she'd done, but Brennah didn't seem at all concerned.

"Whatever. I'll see you at home Garret. I was on my way to see the Arishok when this all happened, so I guess I'd better actually go get that done. Anders, watch over her for me will you? I'll be back as soon as I'm done with the Qunari." Brennah left without another word, easily sidestepping Garret so that he couldn't even make an attempt to stop her.

Garret himself left as well, not caring so much about the woman his sister had saved as much as he did about catching up to her and trying to find out why she was avoiding him. Anders sighed as he was left to look after the mysterious cat woman, picking up where Brennah left off by opening the first book and starting to read through it in case anything contained within was relevant.


	3. Chapter 3 - But I Cooked!

"My twin sister is ignoring me. I don't understand what I did to make her angry at me. We're twins I just want to make sure she's safe! It's my job to keep my family safe and I already failed Carver and Bethany. One's a Templar and the other is in the Circle…I won't fail Brennah." Garret whispered to the small child in his arms, and Brennah watched quietly from a doorway as said child put her arms around his neck and hugged him.

"And who might our company be?" She asked, making her presence known and almost chuckling as Garret nearly jumped out of his skin.

"There you are Brennah! Where's Anders?" Garret gave her a curious eyebrow raise.

"I asked him to stay and watch over the woman I pulled out of the harbor. You didn't answer my question." Brennah gave him a glare, watching the redhead roll his eyes as he put the small girl down.

"Brennah, this is Amon. I'm surprised Anders didn't say anything about her, he rescued her from some Templars and figured she'd be safer here. We're still trying to figure out where she came from and such, but she's been really cryptic about it all." Garret shrugged, looking down at Amon as she hid behind his leg and clung to his pants as if she was afraid.

"I see. Well I'm just here for food then I'm going back to Anders. He needs to take care of some others who need help and we need to take shifts until she either takes a turn for the worse or wakes up." Brennah needed to pull her weight with this one, Anders had responsibilities and it wasn't fair to ask him to keep an eye on that strange woman in addition to those.

"But...But I cooked!" Garret whined, giving her a hurt look. "Mom's out with that guy and Carver hates me, he won't come home anymore! And the Templars won't let me in to bring dinner to Bethany!"

"You have Amon this time. Look, I'd stay, but I have a responsibility to that woman too. I'll see you later, and you know where to find me." To show a bit of good faith Brennah gave garret a hug before moving past him to the kitchen and packing up a little of what he'd cooked. On her way out she leaned up to give him a peck on the cheek, and then she was gone.

"Well, looks like it's just you and me for dinner then." Garret gave a dejected sigh, trying to give Amon a small smile as he picked her up again so he could set the table and get food out for the two of them.

Brennah, meanwhile, hustled her way back to Darktown and the little clinic that Anders had. He was wonderful about helping the less fortunate, providing medical attention despite the risk to himself as a mage doing so. Brennah had tried to help recently by using the money she earned in the Deep Roads and through doing her usual jobs as a sort of fund. Each family that came through got some gold to help them survive, which was as much as a welcomed blessing as the fact that Anders basically worked for free. Brennah was also constantly reminding the healer to eat and sleep on a regular basis since there seemed to be no end to those needing help, and she tried to take over as best she could while he did so and interrupted him if she could not handle the situation.

Neither of them had eaten since before going out on the mission for the Qunari and wound up rescuing the feline woman, and that was hours ago now. They both needed to get some food into them, but she was not surprised to find him healing a small child that had hurt himself. The injury sealed itself up and the boy's mother picked him up as the father took a small bag of coin from Anders. Soon enough the family was out of the way, and Brennah gave the clearly exhausted mage a smile.

"Here, food. Garret cooked." She set part of the meal down and looked over at the still unconscious woman. "So, did you read those books of hers?"

"Yes." Anders sighed as he took a seat at the small table he reserved for eating at, also turning his gaze to the rescued cat girl. "Not that there was much in there. One appeared to be a creation myth of some sort involving cat people like her, another was some kind of cultural heritage or perhaps manifesto of a certain group that included many words and phrases in foreign tongues. The last two related to a group called The Nightingales and regarded who they were, which are apparently some sort of guardians to a temple and serve a woman called Nocturnal. It's all very confusing, and none of it points to any real answers."

Brennah gave that a thought as she ate, and a sort of silence fell over the two as they shared the meal. Both were thinking about the information and how, indeed, it brought up more questions than it did answers for the two of them. There wasn't much to go on, the books didn't even have titles that Brennah had ever heard of and a creation myth about people like her? Were there more of her kind? Too many questions were swimming about in Brennah's head, and she sighed as she pushed her finished plate aside.

"Well, I'll read them for myself then, might as well see if I can't discern more from them." It would also keep her close to the feline woman in case she awoke, which was what Brennah really wanted.

It would be some hours before Milah awoke, and it was only because she could hear something that captured her attention. More specifically a woman talking, and the voice sounded so familiar. Milah groaned as she became aware of her body and the fact that it felt like she'd been sleeping for days. Everything was sore and felt unused, her fingers and toes tingling before she was able to rouse fully into being awake. Her ears twitched and she was made aware that she was not in her armor, but rather dressed in clothes that did not feel familiar and were somewhat too big for her. They didn't even smell like anything she was used to, a glaring indication that they were not Brynjolf's clothes. Deciding it was time to make it known that she was awake, Milah sat up slowly and leaned forward to put a hand on her head.

"Hey, she's up." A female voice echoed, and as Milah looked aside she realized it belonged to a redheaded woman who was standing nearby.

"Good, maybe now we'll have some answers." A male voice this time, deep and coming from an elf standing near the woman. He had some kind of odd tattoos in his skin and white hair, and Milah couldn't place what kind of elf he was.

"And I wish you would not speak of me as if I am not present." Milah growled, lifting her head and glaring over at the elf.

"Apologies, serah, but we are unsure what you are or even how to properly address you." The redhead spoke again, clearly the peacekeeper amongst the small group that had gathered.

"You can start by calling me by my name, which is Milah. Now then, how about giving me yours?" Milah glanced from the redhead to the elf to a man wielding a staff whose end looked like the mouth of a dragon.

"I am Brennah, and my companions here are Fenris and Anders. Fenris was just about to leave." That last sentence has a bit of a bite to it which was accompanied by Brennah glaring at the elf. He gave a sigh before turning towards the door and walking out.

"I can tell he's a cheerful one." Milah joked as she pushed away the blanket that had been covering her and swung her feet over the side of the makeshift bed.

"Yes well he…Let's just say he has some history." Brennah gave a sort of apology, then gave Milah a curious glance.

"I've been through this before, I think. What do you want to know?" Milah gave a slightly sly smile as she settled in and prepared to answer any questions that Brennah and possibly Anders would throw at her.


	4. Chapter 4 - The Crow is Watching

"Well, I should get going then. Garret's busy acting like a mother with a newborn over some silver haired little girl that he says you rescued and brought to him." Brennah sighed, looking over at Anders as she did so.

"What was I supposed to do, Brennah? She was a mage child all alone in Darktown, and I figured she'd be safer with you until we could work something out." Anders defended himself a little too quickly, making Milah raise an eyebrow as she looked over her shoulder at the pair.

"This child…Her name wouldn't happen to be Amon, would it?" The feline woman asked as she pulled up the hood on her armor and straightened out her bag.

"Yes. Why, do you know her?" Brennah almost seemed surprised, but Anders less so. After all both he and Justice had sensed that there was more to the child than met the eye and he suspected somehow that the two might have been connected.

"I may. She sounds oddly like a friend from home." Milah wondered if Amon had found a way through as well, and if she had then it would make things so much easier. After all, it was clear that Brennah and Anders were having a hard time believing her story even if she was thanking Nocturnal at the moment that she could remember anything at all. This wasn't like her trip to Middle Earth, but then again that had apparently been some sort of strange out of body experience as opposed to her actually physically being there so it wasn't impossible for Amon to have come through as well.

"I see. Well then I'll take you to her. She and my brother should be at our house still, I can't imagine he'd take her anywhere." A small mage child who hadn't yet learned to fully control her magic would be a dangerous thing, and Garret would know that better than anyone. Of course it also meant he was probably more suited to care for her than Brennah would be, and his love of children would only add to that.

"Perfect. If she is indeed my friend, then perhaps we can work together on getting home." After all, Milah had been in Skyrim for just a few months after her last little misadventure, and she'd never really properly been able to cope and get back to how things had been before she left.

Thinking on it, Milah realized that all the rage she felt was gone. Everything she'd been trying to overcome back in Skyrim just simply seemed as if it simply had never existed. It was strange, and Milah felt almost as out of place without those feelings welling up inside her as she did when they had been, for it appeared as if she'd become used to them over time. Still, now was not the time to be thinking on that. Instead she had to get to Amon and figure out what was going on, that was the priority.

"Well then, let's go. Anders, you're welcome to stay at the manor tonight too, we have plenty of spare rooms." Brennah offered the mage, almost pouting as she looked at him.

"Sorry, not tonight Brennah. I still have some things to wrap up here." Anders sounded sincere enough, but Milah could hear a hint of something else in his voice. There was no doubt that Anders and Brennah had something going on, but it seemed as if Anders really didn't want to go near Garret for whatever reason. It was interesting, at least, and Milah had to admit that her curiosity was getting the better of her and she wanted to know what was going on.

"Alright. Well, the door's always open if you want to come by. Come on um…Milah, was it?" Brennah looked at Milah with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, that is my name." Milah sighed, shaking her head as Brennah shrugged and she followed the redhead out into the streets of Darktown.

As they walked Milah tried to acclimate to the new things assaulting her senses. What she saw was unlike anything she'd ever imagined. What she heard and could smell were things that were similar to Skyrim and yet they had a distinct feel that said they were different and natural to this world. The feel of the air across her fur, however, was perhaps the most odd of all the new sensations. In Skyrim, the air only sparked with the prickle of magic in certain areas. Old tombs, Word Walls, the College. Places where mages gathered or where magic had been used extensively in the past, places where there was still much magic in the walls or in the artifacts. But here, the air had that same feel no matter where Milah walked. She had somewhat expected it in the clinic since Anders himself was obviously a mage, but as they walked through the streets of Darktown up into Lowtown and then into Hightown she could feel that it was everywhere. Maybe it was the city? That was a reasonable explanation, if there was a high concentration of magic users in the city as a whole then perhaps they could cause something similar.

The train of thought was broken, however, as Milah heard a sound that was all too familiar to her ears. A crow called out, ruffling its wings as it took roost on a nearby building. Milah stopped, turning to stare at the creature as it seemed to do the same in return, and she was not aware that Brennah had moved on without her for a moment nor was she aware when the redhead asked her what was wrong and tried to see what Milah was staring at. This was no ordinary crow, Milah could feel it as she stared into the eyes of the avian. Then, in the blink of an eye it was gone and Milah was left staring where it had been with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Hey, Milah. Are you alright?" Brennah reached out to put a hand on the feline's shoulder, startling her from the stare.

"Huh? Oh…." Milah sighed, shaking her head. "I'm fine, really. I just thought…No, forget about it." There was magic everywhere in this world, and there was no telling if it had infested the animals too or if the creature had been a summon or familiar of some mage. It couldn't be what she thought, that was impossible.

"I know this can be a bit overwhelming, Kirkwall isn't exactly the best place in all of Thedas for newcomers." Brennah had thankfully somehow missed the fact that Milah was actually staring at a crow, and Milah nodded as she just went along with the idea.

"Yes it is…Overwhelming." She mumbled, looking up as Brennah approached a door and opened it as silently as she could, motioning for Milah to follow her inside.

The hour was late, and the wish to get inside without making a sound was understandable. Milah was naturally stealthy as a Khajiit, and this was further enhanced by her years of training and thieving as well as the enchantments on her Nightingale armor. Between all these things she seemed to simply glide over the ground, never making a peep. Even when she closed the door behind herself it seemed as if a spell of silence had fallen over it, Brennah didn't even hear the lock click. The thought that the feline woman could sneak into a place so easily sent a chill up her spine, but it was quickly ignored in favor of walking over to a chair set by the fireplace. Garret was asleep with the silver haired mage child in his lap, so Brennah just looked at Milah with a raised eyebrow. In return Milah nodded silently to say 'yes' to the unasked question of if this was indeed Milah's friend. Still, the feline woman could not bring herself to wake the seemingly happy child so instead she followed Brennah up the stairs and to a spare room in the manor.

"I will speak with her tomorrow, for now let her rest. I have…..Done this before, so to speak. She, however, has not. If it is this overwhelming for me, I cannot imagine how it must be for her." Amon was older, yes, but Milah also knew that the vampire's senses were sharper and she'd be more affected by all the changes to the new world they were inhabiting. Besides, she seemed peaceful sleeping in Garret's lap and Milah didn't want to disturb her.

"Fair enough, she is just a child. You can stay here as long as you need. I hope that come the morning things will be more clear, and I will let Garret know you're here so he can make sure Amon gets to see you. I'll be up and gone early, there is a lot of work to be done in this town and I do not have the luxuries my brother does when it comes to doing my duties. But he's not so bad, I think you'll like him." Brennah whispered with a smile before waving to Milah and walking back to the room she shared with Garret.

"Sounds like fun." Milah muttered under her breath, quietly closing the door to the room she had been given and stripping out of her armor. Her first goal would be to speak with Amon and figure out if they could get home, but since she figured they would not Milah also made a mental note to speak to Brennah about getting some work in the town so she could earn the gold that it would take survive while Amon put her skills to work finding answers on how to get home.

As Milah pulled on a tank top and some shorts from her bag she wasn't aware of the raven from earlier watching her. Its blackened eyes gleamed in the faint light from her room as it sat on the windowsill, and it would stay there through the night with an almost mischievous grin at the corners of its beak. Come the morning when Milah awoke it was gone, leaving a single feather by the window that Milah ignored while she dressed in the light that came streaming through the glass. There were no other sounds in the house yet but she knew Brennah was gone already. Time to head downstairs and face Garret and Amon, and hopefully start work on a solution to the problem at hand.


	5. Chapter 5 - Family Troubles

The following morning started with chaos. Brennah was awakened by the sounds of the small child Garret was taking care of tearing through the house as if she were hyperactive, and though that woke her up it didn't give her reason to come down the stairs straight away. Instead she looked over at Anders with a gentle smile, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and laying her head on his chest.

"I guess we should get up, huh?" She whispered, listening to the sound of his slow breathing.

"Yes. No point in staying hidden up here forever, Garret would worry." Anders reached over and brushed aside a few strands of Brennah's hair before the two shared a short kiss.

By the time they were up and ready to go Brennah could also hear Fenris in the kitchen. What was he doing in the house at that hour? Rather than think on it, however, she quietly sent Anders ahead and stopped by the door to Milah's room before knocking on it. At best she'd hoped perhaps the knocking would wake the feline woman up and she'd come down on her own. The redhead had not expected the door to open and to be faced with her guest in her smallclothes, rubbing one eye blearily.

"Oh uh, good morning Milah. I just wanted to let you know that Garret and Amon are awake and in the kitchen. I have to go but if you want to talk to your friend I'd suggest doing it before Garret decides to drag her around the town or something." Brennah gave a friendly smile, though that faded as Milah all but slammed the door in her face. Well, so much for that idea, but it had been worth trying.

Anders was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for her, having not wanted to face Garret without Brennah beside him. Not that the redhead woman blamed him at all, and she gladly joined the blonde mage as they strode into the kitchen. Almost as soon as they did Amon came running up to Anders screaming about how Garret had put her in a dress that made her look like a lemon. Of course the mage turned to face them both, the blood draining from his face to the point where he looked like he'd pass out.

"Ah…ah…hello Anders. Good morning, Sister! I, uh, made breakfast?" He stammered, looking nervous as ever.

"And a good morning to you as well, Brother." Brennah greeted, trying to diffuse the tension that was quickly boiling up between them. "Fenris, what a pleasant surprise. Might I ask what you are doing in my house at this hour?" She asked curiously, letting Anders deal with Amon for the moment.

"I actually came to ask for your brother's help on a matter. But since he has already agreed, I will be on my way. It seems your house is full enough as it is." He eyed Anders for a moment before excusing himself from the kitchen to slip out the back door. Garret would know where to find him, and once the excitement in the house had died down the elf was sure they could get moving on the task at hand.

"Well then, sounds like you're in for an exciting day if you're going to be hanging out with Fenris." Brennah joked, not even bothering to ask what it was about. Garret had to do things on his own, she couldn't protect him forever and it was not fair to ask him to stay home and play it safe while she was out dealing with Qunari or hunting bandits to help Aveline. "Just…..Be safe, will you? I worry." She added, giving Garret a caring smile.

"Dear Sister, am I ever anything but safe?" Garret joked, thankfully seeming a little more like his usual self as he did.

"No, I suppose not." Brennah played along, laughing a bit.

"Besides, I need to find a babysitter for dear little Amon first. I don't suppose you could look after her?" Garret shot his sister a hopeful look, but she simply shook her head and sighed.

"Sadly, I cannot. Athenril is expecting me for something, and I'm taking Anders along. But apparently Amon has a friend named Milah, I expect she'll be coming down the stairs at any time now." Brennah wasn't sure if Garret knew about the feline woman yet or what Amon had told him, but it was worth mentioning. And perhaps with everyone gone the two would have some time to talk and figure things out with themselves.

"Milah is here?" Amon looked back at Brennah with a happy smile, still playing the role of a small child to keep her true self hidden.

"Yes, she was well enough last night to leave the clinic and come home with me, but by the time we arrived you and Garret were asleep and she thought it best not to disturb you." Brennah spoke in a softer tone, somewhat respecting the fact that she was just a child.

"Indeed. Though I am glad to see that you are well, Amon." Milah spoke from the doorway as she leaned against it, already dressed in her armor with her hood up and her tail tucked into it so as not to stand out too much in a world that clearly did not have anything that looked like she did.

"Milah!" Amon ceased hugging Anders and ran to her friend, not at all protesting as the woman picked her up and hugged her.

"So you two know each other?" Garret raised a curious eyebrow, not at all liking the fact that he could see nothing of the strange new woman aside from her general body shape because of the way the armor covered her.

"Yes. Amon is, in a sense, my charge. We have traveled together for a long while, and I look after her as best I can." Milah chose her words carefully, not knowing what Amon had said and not wishing to ruin whatever ruse she had started to build with these people.

"So you're the Night Mother then?" Garret almost snarled, standing his ground and ready to snatch Amon back if he had to.

"The Night Mother? Oh by Nocturnal no." Milah looked to Amon, pausing and unsure what to say next.

"The Night Mother is mother to us all." Amon chirped happily, still hugging Milah.

"She's been saying that for as long as I can remember. I have no idea what it means, and she won't tell me anything." The feline shrugged, still playing along with Amon being a small child.

"I still don't trust you." Garret looked at her angrily, but he was calmed as Amon wiggled free of Milah's grasp and ran over to him.

"Daddy Garret, Milah is a friend! She takes care of me!" Amon gave him puppy eyes, and that seemed to soften Garret up just a little bit as he stared down at him even as Milah laughed quietly under her breath.

"Daddy? Well, I can see she really likes you. Though I thought that was evident enough by the way she was sleeping so peacefully in your lap last night." She chuckled.

"It was comfortable. Did you sleep well too Milah?" The small child asked, looking back at her friend with a smirk.

"Somewhat. If only the people in the room next door would have kept the volume down." Milah cast a sideways glance at Brennah and Anders, though there was no disapproval in the look. Rather there was a hint of curiosity and then a bit of sympathy pain as Garret made a kicked puppy face.

Already the feline could see what was going on. Brennah and Anders were having a thing together, but since Brennah and Garret were twins they had a natural bond that made Garret jealous of his sister's lover. It probably wasn't helped by the fact that Garret obviously liked Anders too, so it came down to the fact that his twin sister and the man he had a crush on were in a relationship and he was feeling left out because of it. Well, at least people were never boring even if Milah really didn't like them most of the time.

"Ahem. Well then, I suppose we should get going. Wouldn't do to keep Athenril waiting." Brennah blushed slightly, seeing the look on Garret's face but knowing that trying to do something about it now would do no good. There were bigger things at play, and she needed to get moving.

Without another word Brennah slipped out of the house, Anders right on her tail. Amon pouted, looking up at Garret as the redhead just seemed a bit stunned for a moment. He didn't even notice the bacon was starting to burn slightly until Milah made a quick move to get the pan off the stove. She may not have known entirely what the device was but it gave off heat that was clearly about to destroy breakfast and that was the same principle as taking a pot off the fire when the stew as bubbling so it wouldn't overflow.

"Garret, was it? Why don't you go into the other room with Amon, I think I can…..Manage breakfast." The bacon wasn't beyond saving, and Milah was sure she could figure out how to cook up some eggs and bread to make the meal more appealing.

The words were also a bit of a code to Amon, who nodded before tugging at Garret's shirt until he followed her into the main room of the house and back to the chair where they'd been sleeping through most of the night. She would attempt to give him some comfort without blowing her cover as Milah finished making food. The day was not starting out well at all, but compared to what was to come it would be just another day for the growing group.


	6. Chapter 6 - Speak to the Knight Captain

The day hadn't started out smoothly and it would wind up going no better as time passed. Breakfast conversation consisted of Amon wishing to go see the Dalish and Garret all but refusing to let her go. He suggested instead that they go down to the alienage and see an elf named Merrill, who until recently had been one of the Dalish herself. Elves were always naturally talented in magic, and it made sense that Amon would want to go see them thinking that maybe they'd have answers on how to get home. Still, Garret had said no and Milah was not going to defy him if only because he was the brother of the woman who had risked her life to save the Khajiit. Soon enough the white haired elf Milah had seen while she was at the clinic showed up with a woman in tow and Garret took off with the pair, threatening Milah on the way out that if any harm came to Amon he'd skin her and turn her into a new pair of boots for his sister. Once he was gone Milah simply laughed at the threat, knowing full well she could take a mage in single combat and would defend herself if she had to.

Still, the pair departed the house and began to try and find their way to the alienage. It took time, and in that time Milah carried Amon upon her shoulders and they talked about what the vampire had told the others and what Milah had revealed to Anders and Brennah. That way if things got a little tight they could back one another up and make sure their stories were straight, which Milah knew would be for the best in the end. Eventually they found their way to the alienage and then to Merrill's house, though the elf instantly set off Milah's senses and the Khajiit knew there was something wrong either with the woman herself or with something in the house. The Eluvian was the source of all that negative energy, but Milah was too busy pressing Merrill for some answers to notice that Amon had touched the thing. Sadly Merrill knew very little about it other than it was a piece of history for her people and she was trying to restore it so as to also restore that history. When Amon began to cower in fear behind her Milah raised an eyebrow but said nothing, instead wishing Merrill a good day and leaving with Amon in tow.

"What was that about Amon?" Milah asked, looking down at her friend with some obvious concern.

"Milah, whatever you do. STAY AWAY from that woman and that mirror. I don't like it…it is evil. More evil then even Alduin." The fact that Amon was visibly frightened by the very idea of the mirror had Milah curious, but before she could ask more questions Amon fell to the ground and began to glow.

Oddly enough, Milah could feel almost the same sensations as Amon but not quite as intense. She felt that the glow was magic and it was being forcibly ripped from Amon by some kind of force. Before she could help, however, a blonde woman with armor strode up and pushed her away, blathering something about how Amon was property of the Chantry and would be taken from the Circle. Milah snarled, wishing she had thought to push her hood down so as to look more intimidating. As she made a move to try and reclaim Amon two larger men in very heavy armor blocked her path, and the moment Milah put a hand on the hilt of her sword in attempt to draw it and start combat one of them unceremoniously decked her in the gut with his gauntleted fist. With the wind knocked out of her Milah stumbled back, collapsing against a large tree that was blooming in the alienage as the world started to spin around her.

None of the elves would dare help her or defy the Templars who had taken the little mage girl so Milah was on her own, though she thankfully was able to get up and stumble back to the manor on her own with just one stop to vomit before everything finally stood still. Eventually Milah pushed the door to the manor open and gasped for air, still feeling the effects of being hit in just the right spot by the hard metal and the force the man had put into the punch. Brennah was in the main room and rushed to the door as she heard it open, fearing something far worse than her feline companion returning even if a frown crossed her face upon seeing that she was alone and something was very, very wrong.

"Milah, what happened?" The redhead asked, moving to help the Khajiit sit down in a chair before she passed out on the floor.

"Amon she…She started glowing all of a sudden. And then this woman came and took her." Breathing was painful, but Milah cringed and tried to bear it as she told Brennah what happened. "I heard something about a Circle and…Before I could try to stop them one of the men decked me." Her vision was swirling and starting to turn black, but she simply shook her head and tried to chase the feeling away. It failed miserably as she simply looked at Brennah with a serious expression that said she was not joking in the least and that was the end of it.

_Speak to the Knight Captain Cullen and reclaim my Listener. So begins a contract, bound in blood. _Came the rasping voice that echoed in Milah's head. Everything hurt as she slowly worked her way back into consciousness, though that wasn't surprising once she remembered having been hit. The Khajiit found herself back in the bedroom in the Hawke mansion, still in her armor and with voices echoing from downstairs.

"Meredith has Amon, we can't just sit back and hope that she'll find a way out or somehow be okay!" Garret's angry voice rang out as he pounded one fist on the table.

"And we can't rush into this without thinking Garret. I will not lose you to some rash action and a Templar stabbing you in the gut." Brennah sighed, putting one hand on her forehead.

As Milah made her way to the stairs she could see that all their companions had gathered. The blonde mage and the white haired elf, Merrill and the large breasted woman who had accompanied Garret that morning and finally two that she did not recognize - an orange haired human in guard armor and a dwarf with an incredible amount of chest hair that he was not at all shy about showing it off.

"And yet…We don't have a choice. I believe that the Night Mother has spoken to me, and she wishes that we reclaim her Listener." Milah managed, cringing slightly as breathing still hurt somewhat. Still her words drew the attention of all in the group, including Garret.

"What are you talking about? I thought you didn't know anything about this 'Night Mother', and now she's speaking to you?" Garret snarled, trying to make a move towards Milah but stopping as his sister held out her arm.

"I lied. Look, we can argue about this later but the fact of the matter is I heard a voice. It was much like the one Amon says she hears when the Night Mother speaks to her. The voice said to find and speak to a…Knight Captain Cullen. She ended with the phrase 'So beings a contract, bound in blood' and that is the signature phrase of the Brotherhood when they accept someone's call to kill another for money. I think that Amon might have wished the contract on Meredith, and now that I have heard the call I cannot ignore it. The Thieves Guild is my patron, but I joined the Brotherhood to help look after Amon and pick up spare contracts when they had some overflow. I know that if I ignore this contract I will invoke the wrath of Sithis, and that is not something I wish to do. He is the metaphorical father of both the Aedra and the Daedra according to our creation mythos, and that includes my own Lady Nocturnal. In essence since I serve her I also serve him, and he could do terrible things to me if I ignore his will. Amon is the Listener, the one who hears the Night Mother, and thus she is a favored child to the Dread Lord. Even if it costs me my life I will see the contract through and ensure that Amon is safe." Milah cringed, having felt the pain build as she spoke but it was worth it to say all that she needed.

Still, somehow the words only seemed to enrage Garret. He ducked under his sister's arm and made a move to punch Milah. This time, however, the feline was quicker and grabbed his arm, twisting it even as her hood got brushed back to reveal her true nature to all in the room. Brennah, Anders and Fenris were not at all surprised since they had seen her before, but as Milah let Garret go and pushed him back towards his sister it was clear that the others were a little more shocked to see something as strange as she standing before them and clearly real.

"Do what you will, but I am going to try and save Amon." Milah pulled her hood back up and left quietly, glad that her armor and her natural skills combined with all the years of practice would make her nearly impossible to detect unless she made a mistake of some kind. But when Amon's life was at stake she would not be making a single slip up.

As soon as she got outside the cawing of a crow attracted her attention and Milah looked up at it with a curious glance. The bird stared back at her and she could have almost sworn it was grinning at her before taking off in the direction of a large building.

_Go there, my child. It is where you will find your Knight Captain._ A familiar voice echoed in her head, and Milah narrowed her eyes at the crow as it perched atop the building as if it were waiting for her.

"Thank you, Lady Nocturnal. I promise I will not fail you in this." She whispered, sticking to the shadows as she made her way towards the area as best she could and praying that she would find Amon without too much trouble. More importantly, at the moment she was looking for the man named Cullen so that he could aid her and hoped that he would indeed be willing to.


	7. Chapter 7 - Chaos in the Gallows

"Everyone just settle down." Brennah tried to be the voice of reason, staring around at her companions as they bickered amongst one another over what to do about Amon. Isabela wanted to go after her almost as much as Garret did, and when the two looked to Anders for help in the freeing of a mage the blonde simply made an excuse.

"Oh no, you are not using me as a defense to get out of this!" She snarled, turning as her brother left and not even bothering to stop him. "I can't let Garret go alone. Look, help if you want to or go home, I don't care one way or another. But if you're going to help then spread out, find Milah and my brother. If we can band together I'm sure we can get this done." Without another word Brennah left, moving swiftly so as to hopefully catch Garret before he did anything too stupid.

Voicing no objections her companions followed suit, spreading out over the town to see what they could find. It became readily apparent, however, that the chaos was coming from the Gallows and within half an hour everyone had massed there to see what was going on. The carnage was unimaginable as the group reassembled, though Milah was nowhere to be found and Brennah stopped only to tell everyone to stay back before she went in search of her brother amidst the flaming buildings and smoke.

"Do you think we should help?" Merrill asked, looking to the others with a worried expression.

"No, she told us to stay back. I trust Brennah, and I think our first priority should be helping anyone in the area who needs it or warning those ahead of what's coming." Aveline stepped in, taking charge in Brennah's absence. "Fenris, take Varric and Isabela with you to go do that. Merrill, Anders, spread out and aid anyone who needs it. Get them out of harm's way as fast as possible then move on, the more lives we can save the better." Aveline was gone a moment after she finished, and respecting her word the others fanned out to do as told before things got too out of hand.

In the meantime Milah had finally figured out where all the disturbance was and as soon as she approached the scene she knew what was happening. Amon was out of control and had a Dremora and an Atronach at her side and she was screaming as she lashed out at the Templar soldiers who tried to rein her in. They were getting slaughtered, and while some part of the Khajiit felt they deserved it another piece of her said Amon needed to be stopped before she destroyed the entire town. That in mind Milah kept to the shadows and followed Amon's movements for a few minutes before seeing Brennah's companions spreading out to try and contain the damage and get people out of the way of the crazed vampire child.

Absently focused on that and not really watching where she was going for a moment, Milah ran headlong into a man in heavy armor bearing the sword and flames of the Templar. He was obviously trying to stay out of the way as well, though as soon as Milah jumped back and bared her teeth at him the man drew his sword and eyed her with a great degree of suspicion. His first thought was that she was Coterie trying to take advantage of the situation but as he looked more closely it was clear that her armor didn't match that of the group and she seemed to be alone. Coterie were never alone.

"Are you Knight-Captain Cullen?" The Khajiit asked, looking at the man with some degree of hope.

"I am indeed. But it seems you have the distinct advantage of knowing my name whereas I do not know yours." He put his sword down though kept it drawn, still wary of the stranger.

"This is no time for introductions, but if you must know my name is Milah. That girl out there causing all this destruction is a friend of mine, and believe me when I say she is not like this. A woman with blonde hair and armor similar to yours took her a few hours ago, and I fear that whatever was done to her during that time has caused her to act in this manner. I wish to stop her but I know I can't get close, not with her summons right at her side like that." Milah cast her eyes back to the main area, wincing as Amon screamed the Black Sacrament and continued to cause destruction.

"If she's a blood mage we cannot let her live, our best chance of putting a stop to this is to kill her." Cullen looked at Amon as well, clearly feeling that killing a small child was wrong but knowing that there was no going back once one became a blood mage.

"Look, she's not a blood mage. Do those look like demons to you? Why is it that a mage can't have summons without being considered evil? Trust me; once we get her to calm down she'll be fine. But if you want to try and kill her, you will have to go through me. Am I clear on that matter?" Milah growled, ready to take the man out with a single shot if he even so much as tried to hurt Amon.

"Fine. I would hate to have to murder a child. What do you need me to do?" Cullen relented, knowing that the woman had a point. The creatures beside the girl causing all the havoc did not look like any demons from the Fade that he'd ever seen, and it was obvious that something more than what met the eye was going on.

"Distract her. You have heavy armor so I assume you can take a hit or two. If I can get close to her and restrain her she might calm down." Milah stared at Amon, sorrow reflecting in her eyes at what her friend was doing.

"Alright. Just try not to get me killed, will you?" Cullen took one deep and reassuring breath before he charged straight into the fray, past the line of Templars that Amon was about to charge into and making himself the target.

As this happened Milah rushed through as well, past the summons that were now focused on Cullen and straight for Amon. In a desperate dive to avoid taking any damage from the little mage she wrapped her arms around her friend and tackled her to the ground, using the advantage of her weight to hold her down. In the tumble her hood had fallen off yet again, and the feline stared into Amon's eyes with a mix of pity and sorrow.

"Amon, whatever they did to you it's not worth destroying the town over. Stop this, please." She begged, looking down into the small girl's eyes and hoping that her pleas would not fall on deaf ears.

In the meantime Brennah was searching for Garret. Things were getting chaotic fast, the Templars were being slaughtered and the guardsmen were following Aveline's passed down orders to stay out of the fight and help get people to safety instead. She would not risk her people for this, not when she trusted that the feline companion had a plan and would make things right. The Viscount would be furious she was sure, but it was worth it to her.

"Garret!" Brennah tried to call over the noise, keeping out of sight as she moved amidst the havoc and tried to locate her brother. He was nearby, she could feel it, but without a visual or any other way to find him the redhead was stuck.

"Halt!" A voice made Brennah spin on her heel, the rogue finding herself face-to-face with a Templar who had his sword drawn and looked ready to use it.

"Sorry, no time to chat." Brennah gave a playful smile before dodging a sword swing from the impatient soldier, though sadly he was faster than she anticipated and executed a back swing that drove the hilt of his sword right into her chest.

Wearing light armor that gave very little protection from such a heavy blow Brennah gasped as her lungs burned from the impact and she found herself unable to breathe. Darkness closed in, and as the redhead faded she was vaguely aware of being picked up by the Templar and hoisted over his shoulder. He was taking her somewhere, but between her lungs refusing to work and the pain that was welling up every time she tried to inhale Brennah was passed out before she even had time to be aware that he was walking back towards the Chantry.


	8. Chapter 8 - I Did It Alone

A few minutes after Garret had rescued her from the Templar Brennah came to, blinking groggily as she realized what had happened and that her brother was holding her. With a gentle smile she wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled into him. He was safe, that was all that mattered, and she could feel a few tears starting to well up in her eyes as she sat there in his arms. Garret was crying too, but Brennah made the presumption that they were because of what had happened to her and thought nothing more on it until she had regained her usual composure and managed to wiggle free of her brother and stand up on shaky legs.

"Thank you, Garret. I knew you'd come for me." She was truly sincere about it, and Garret just gave a sad smile as he stood up to join her.

"I know. Now come on, we should get back to the others before they worry." No jokes, no usual Garret charm, just simple words as he offered a hand to her and started off towards the main of the Gallows once Brennah took it.

He knew something, she was sure, but trying to get it out of him would do no good at this point. Whatever was happening was clearly more the focus of his attention now that Brennah was alright, and she knew that later she could demand answers from him in a safer environment. With that in mind she set off with him slowly towards where he was leading, hoping that somehow Milah had been able to stop Amon.

Meanwhile, Milah softened as soon as she saw Amon coming back to herself. The summons were gone, and Amon seemed to finally be back to normal. The feline's ears were tuned in to the conversation happening between the woman who'd taken Amon and the man named Cullen who had stepped in to help when she needed it. He was trying to convince the woman, Meredith, to back down and give Amon a chance. Things seemed to be going well in that regard as Milah used her body to try and shield her friend from the last rays of the setting sun so as not to further damage her already fragile body.

"Milah…a certain cheese loving Prince is influencing Meredith." Amon whispered, causing Milah to look up at Meredith and give her a second once-over with her eyes.

"I should have known. Lady Nocturnal is here too, and the Night Mother spoke to me, asking me to save you. I think that somehow they're bleeding into this world, and we need to stop it. Who knows what kind of chaos will happen if we leave them be." Milah let her ears flop back worriedly, sighing as she watched the scene unfold. Sheogorath could cause this kind of mayhem and while he was the Prince of all things chaotic and mad there were others who could think clearly and would have the presence of mind to use their powers for far more sinister things.

Before Milah could bring the point up to Amon, however, something else caught her attention. Anders stepped in between the bickering pair and said something, though Milah only registered the words 'no compromise' before a light emanated from a nearby building before tearing the very walls apart in chunks. They lifted into the sky and then blew out in all directions before raining back down upon the town in small pieces that also included people from the smell of things. Everyone blamed Anders, but as he was about to take credit for his actions Garret steppe din with Brennah and took it for himself.

"Wait, what?" Brennah looked at Garret, shocked for a moment as she leaned on him for support since she could barely walk. "Garret no! No, I won't let you do this. You can't do this!" She screamed, trying desperately to fight her way back to him as he handed her off to Fenris. Sadly the elf held tightly to her, knowing that if Garret wanted to take the blame instead of Anders there had to be a reason.

"Garret…." Anders didn't protest, he simply looked at the mage with eyes that said it was wrong of him to do this. But his mind was made up, his sister was happier with Anders and if that's the way she wanted things then he would make sure that at least she was happy.

"I did it. I did it alone." Garret faced the Knight-Commander with a stern face, insisting on taking the blame for the destruction of the Chantry despite his sister's desperate pleas in the background.

"Very well, then you will die for what you have done." Without another word Meredith stuck her sword through Garret's gut, cutting upward and impaling him in one swift move before drawing the blade back and leaving him to collapse on the ground in a pool of his own blood.

Fenris did his best to restrain Brennah as she cried and screamed and kicked, but as soon as Meredith and her Templars had walked off to try and restore some order to the town he didn't bother trying to hold on. Brennah fell then scrambled to her feet, making her way over to Garret and sitting beside him holding her head in his lap as she cried.

"No Garret….Please, you can't leave me. Bethany and Carver are gone, I can't lose you too….." She sobbed, cradling her brother's body as the world went on around her.

No one dared step forward and try to intervene. One twin had just lost the other, and they all knew that such a deep feeling of loss was not something they could ever experience. Even Aveline, who had lost her husband just a few years earlier at the beginning of the Blight in Ferelden, knew that the pain Brennah was feeling would be so far past what she'd felt then it wasn't even fair to compare the two events. Anders especially said nothing, but rather moved into the shadows and vanished from the area to avoid Brennah's wrath. There wasn't really anywhere he could hide, she would seek him out eventually, but for now the mage thought it was best to leave her to mourn without his presence.

In due time the sun had set and the guardsmen and Templars had restored order to the town as best they could. People were still worried, some even had loved ones who were inside the Chantry when the explosion happened, but the Gallows and the Chantry courtyard were barred off and no one was being let through so at least it was safe for the time being. Brennah wore herself out crying over Garret's body and was subsequently carried back to her mansion by Aveline and the others while Milah carried Amon so that the young vampire would not wear herself out further. Much death and destruction had happened in the failing rays of the sun, and Milah knew it was better to leave the aftermath of the affairs to those who rightly belonged in the world.

When they reached the manor Milah went straight upstairs, ignoring the black haired man and woman who sat in the main area of the house with another woman Milah assumed to be Brennah's mother. She also assumed the other two were her younger brother and sister, probably seeking shelter in their own home after what had happened. It was clear from the resulting cries and sobs that they hadn't known Garret was dead, but still Milah ignored that as she set Amon down on the bed to rest and then sat in a chair with a shake of her head.

"What are we going to do, Amon? The Daedra are here, and if what just happened is any fair indication I'd say they are going to cause all kinds of death and destruction through here unless we can contain them or send them back to Tamriel somehow." The problem was that Milah was no mage and knew very little of magic outside of how to enchant items and make restorative potions. Whatever had sent her to this new land to begin with was not a force she understood, though Amon following because Sithis opened a portal for her made sense. Maybe they could somehow seek help from him and the Night Mother? It was all Milah could think as she sat and tried to ignore the conversation trickling up from downstairs about what had happened and forced herself to focus on the bigger picture to prevent the events of the past few hours from repeating themselves.


	9. Chapter 9 - The Mad God

All Milah could do was follow along as Amon made the choice to turn to her magic in attempt to fix the situation. First by asking the still grieving Brennah if it would be alright to experiment on Anders in attempt to separate him from Justice. The answer was a solid yes, followed by a threat that the redhead was going to take him back to Ferelden and turn him over to the Grey Wardens. If Milah remembered hearing correctly at some point then that would probably be a fate worse than death for him, but Brennah was determined and she'd make sure he got there. That was assuming he lived through whatever kind of magical business Amon was planning on going through with involving him and a black soul gem shoved into the stuffing of one of the little dolls Garret had gotten for her. It would be interesting to say the least, so Milah said nothing as they left the manor and made their way to Darktown and the small clinic that Anders ran there. Even if he wasn't in the place they'd find him, Milah could see in his eyes when he left that he still cared for Brennah and would try to stay by her side as much as she would allow him to while she was suffering from the loss of her brother.

Oddly enough Anders was indeed at the clinic, sitting with his head in his hands and obviously feeling guilty about what he'd done. Not that Milah blamed him, his actions had caused the death of the twin brother to the woman he loved, and it was clear that she would not be getting over that any time soon. Once more Milah simply watched as Amon used her Soul Trap spell to draw the odd blue spirit out of Anders and trap it inside the little doll. Of course the spirit protested, but Amon giggled and ignored that as she walked out the doors. Milah was going to follow, but instead she stopped for a moment and turned to look at the blonde mage with narrowed eyes.

"One way or another you will atone for your mistakes. You got Garret killed and worse yet you have caused Brennah so much pain that she will never be the same. Your actions changed lives, all for the worse, and there is a price to pay for that. I hope that whatever happens to you when Brennah drags you kicking and screaming back to the Grey Wardens it's a fate worse than death, because that is all you deserve and nothing more." Her voice dripped with malice as she turned and left, rushing to catch up with Amon before she missed all the fun.

Soon enough they came upon the ruined Chantry and found Meredith still there with her Templar forces, though it was clear to Milah as soon as they approached that she was no longer the woman she appeared to be on the outside. Sheogorath was completely in control, and that became even more evident as Meredith spoke with the tone, canter and even a slight bit of the accent that the Mad God held even if her general pitch stayed the same.

"Well HELLO there little Death and the Thief! I thought you'd never get here! Is it time to battle? Hey wait, where is the death threat on the back of an Argonian concubine!?" Meredith frowned, and Milah snarled as she faced the woman with her weapon drawn.

Amon made some crack about having to go back to Tamriel, and it was clear that Sheogorath would not go without a fight. It wouldn't be easy, but Amon seemed to have things handled as her Soul Trap spell wrapped around the Daedric Lord and, for the moment, kept him quiet.

"Do as you will with her. I'm going to make sure they don't interfere." Milah gave a quick nod to the Templar soldiers standing nearby, stepping over so that she was between them and Meredith. A few had drawn their swords and begun to approach as the exchange of words happened, but Milah snarled as she twisted her wrist and her blade with it, keeping careful eyes on them.

It was no surprise that the men all took a step back when faced with the slender woman. Had she been a human perhaps she would have posed little to no threat, especially up close where her arrows wouldn't have time to reach a deadly speed and if they rushed her they could easily avoid getting hit. But Milah hadn't even bothered to put up her hood and her tail was sticking out of her armor. It waved behind her at a slow pace, the same way a house cat might swing its tail lethargically as it eyed a bird sitting on a fence and prepared to pounce on the unsuspecting avian and rip it to shreds. Some were even now beginning to notice her legs and the way they were built to carry her with speed and allow her to jump with all the grace her smaller counterparts had. Most stayed put, not daring to move when the feline woman was eyeing them as a warning to stay back, but a brave few who were still loyal to their Knight-Commander stepped forward nervously with weapons drawn.

Milah tilted her head curiously towards Cullen, respecting the man's opinion in the matter after he had proven himself different from the other Templars and clearly a little more willing to listen to reason. The man simply nodded slowly, giving a silent signal that if Milah thought killing the men who were trying to oppose her was the right then to do then he was not going to stop her from doing it. Meredith needed to be stopped, and if another power was influencing her and exasperating the underlying madness then it was only a matter of time before she descended into it all on her own and the thought that she might be able to do that without an outside force helping things along was even more frightening than the current situation. Those who wished to support someone who was clearly so out of control deserved no less than the whatever fate the feline would mete out to them, and while Cullen didn't always agree that death was the answer he would respect her choice since she'd given him the courtesy of asking for his opinion.

With a grin that said she approved of this, Milah gave another threatening growl towards the men who approached. It was a last warning to step back, but of course it was obvious that they would not. The noise didn't even scare them off, the small handful simply approached cautiously and tried to fan out and surround her. Milah was aware of each one's movement and positions, her ears working overtime to amplify the noise and figure out where they were going. When the first Templar charged Milah crouched low, jumping high as he took a swing and landing on his upper back as he lurched forward since his heavy armor made it almost impossible for him to recover when still carrying the momentum of the missed blow. He fell into the ground as Milah used landing on him as another jumping platform and gracefully spun in the air so that she was facing him when she landed. Her eyes darted around to the others, daring them to try to fight her as their companion tried to get up off the ground after the hard impact.

Realizing that she was smaller and far quicker than they were one of the men turned to where Amon was dealing with Meredith and tried to charge past Milah to the scene. The others moved to cover him, but Milah was still far quicker and had her bow out before they had even managed to assemble proper cover. Once again jumping to avoid a Templar attack she shot from the air and downed the man trying to interrupt Amon by aiming for the base of his neck, thankful that the slim ebony arrows were able to fit right into the chink and give the man a swift death. Landing with a roll, Milah got to her feet and quickly spun her bow around to smash the end into the skull of a second Templar who tried to charge her from behind. The impact knocked him over and gave her time to move back into position between them and Amon.

"Come on Amon, get it over with!" She called to her friend, wondering why the girl had not yet ripped Sheogorath from Meredith's body when she clearly had a decent hold on him with the spell. That and Milah really did not want to continue battling with the Templars who were trying in vain to rally back together and attack her. Seeing that they were having some degree of success in at least slowing her down a few others had stepped from the scared ranks to join the ones already facing her, and the odds were turning against her favor fast. All it would take was one wrong move and she could wind up impaled on a sword or landing wrong and breaking something. Normally she could land safely enough to get away from almost any height, but when she had to keep a careful eye on her landing spot so as not to wind up in range of her enemies it was much harder to also focus on where her feet were going to touch down and make sure she shifted her weight properly so as to either land solidly or roll away from the combat.

Emboldened by the fact that the woman was finally looking a slight bit frightened of the situation at hand a few more stepped forward to join the fray and Milah had to back up almost to the point of stepping on the one man she'd been able to shoot down. Her bow was drawn and an arrow sat ready to be fired if she had to, but she was holding out in a desperate hope that Amon would be done soon and they could take off before another of the men whose only crime at this point was their blatant stupidity had to die because of it.


	10. Chapter 10 - To A New World

Milah was glad that Amon did not take much longer with the battle against the possessed Meredith. As soon as the volley of spells began to rain down she moved back, leaping sky high just as a Storm Atronach stood between her and the remaining Templars who hadn't fled after the initial magic attack rained down on them. The remainder took off running at the sight of the thing, and Milah smirked as she looked over at Cullen while Amon handed him the glowing soul gem after explaining that it held Meredith's soul, tormented until such a time as Brennah chose to let her out. Milah doubted that would ever be the case, it was more likely that the redhead would simply keep the gem close by and use it to remind herself that vengeance had been wrought upon Meredith for killing her brother and she had the power to end the torture whenever her anger and grief finally faded away.

Raising a curious eyebrow at Amon, Milah sighed as she took the little girl's hand in her own. It was clear from the vampire's words that the other Daedric Lords were no longer in this realm, but rather had moved on through rifts in the Void to places unknown. If Sithis wished them to hunt down the remaining Daedra and send them back into Oblivion then so be it, but Milah winced as she used her free hand to clutch at the pendant Brynjolf had given her. Hopefully this time around she would return to Skyrim with full memories and not too much time would have passed, because she felt that if it did things could go over very badly.

Following Amon through the portal, Milah sighed as she stared at the tunnel around her. Portals were like that sometimes, rather than taking one instantly from the first point to the second they dropped the travelers in a sort of hallway between worlds. At least it was straight and would not lead them astray as they walked, which meant Milah had plenty of time to pull out a small blank book she had picked up while staying in Kirkwall. It was intended to be a sort of journal, but the Khajiit was quick to situate a small bottle of ink in one corner and use her claws as the pen to draw, sketching from memory a picture of Garret and Brennah together. She was sure at some point they had been close and known happiness in each other's presence, so she drew them smiling and laughing as if Garret had told a joke of some kind.

Staring at the picture, Milah sighed. There were sixteen Daedric Princes in all and another nine Divines, and with Sheogorath thrown back to his little place in Oblivion that meant at least another fifteen more to go assuming that somehow the Divines had not caught wind of the events and attempted to follow suit. This was going to be a long and hard journey, but Milah had done this twice before and she somehow had a feeling that nothing would ever be quite as bad as the first two experiences. Sooner or later they'd pick up tips and tricks about how to conceal themselves in strange new worlds (assuming it was even needed, of course) and how to quickly adapt to new customs. One thing Milah was sure of, however, was that she would never forget herself again. With Amon by her side as a constant reminder of home the feline was sure that no matter what happened she would always look forward to returning to Skyrim and resuming her somewhat quiet life as the leader of the Thieves Guild. She would forever be changed by her experiences in these other realms, of course, but she had faith that in the end it would all be for the best. Somehow.

"So, any idea where we're heading next?" She asked as she closed the book after scribbling a few notes on the pages opposite the sketch. Things she never wanted to forget, names and places so that she could reassure herself later that this had all not been a dream.

"No, but wherever we're going I bet it will be exciting!" Amon chirped, seeming almost like a real child once more after her little serious bout with Cullen.

"I think you and I have very different ideas of what it means for a place to be exciting, but I can live with that." Milah laughed, looking ahead at the white light as they approached it. Soon enough they would be through the portal and on to another adventure, and that thought kept the woman smiling as she closed her eyes to avoid being blinded as she and Amon stepped into a new world filled with the unknown.

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A/N - Short chapter is short, but that's the end of it! Well, not really the end but you get my point. Lilith and I have decided to extend this story into different fandoms and random other bits so keep an eye out for that in the near future. Next world? Well, you'll have to wait and find out now won't you? ;)


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